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#Boardgamers types – what is yours?

As part of designing games, @carmikgamesuk tries to identify the different types of #boardgamers out there, to help with playtesting. How does this help? without a rules lawyer you will never find those hidden flaws. Without a powergamer you will never break the game in the first turn (this actually happened with the first playthrough of #highseaspirates, thanks owen!)

So here are a few we have spotted so far, please add to the list if you can:

The Rules Lawyer: a participant in a rules-based environment who attempts to use the letter of the law without reference to the spirit, usually in order to gain an advantage within that environment. (wikipedia)

The Power Gamer: A gamer who learns the rules of a game inside and out to perfection in order to become the best at that game (urban dictionary)

The Provaricator: Please please please just make a decision!

Captain Indecisive: See Provaricator

The Munchkin*:The player who plays the game to win at any cost, even if that isn’t the point. (tvtropes)

*Also a nice fun game from steve jackson games. thanks steve for killing friendships, breaking relationships, and destroying clubs with your nice game of cooperation and team building…. Oh wait, that’s something else.

The Extensionalist: Plays a role within a game to explore the philosophical meaning of that role, completely missing the point that they are playing a game.

The Maverick: “We don’t need that rule, that rule is boring. What do you mean i’ve been playing Settlers** for 20 years wrong? My version is better.” The Maverick ignores rules he doesn’t like, changes rules he finds dull, and generally miss reads the rulebook from day 1, if he even bothered in the first place.

**A nice game by Kosmos. We like Kosmos. Kosmos are nice people.

The Enabler: The only reason the enabler is playing is because he likes playing, but only if his friends are playing, and only if they are playing properly. The Enabler feels he is mostly herding cats on a weekly basis, but at least the cats are playing the game.